Andrea Wohlan

Tips for Au Pairs: your host children

This was mentioned in one of my earlier posts but I want to bring it up again, take your job as an au pair serious. Your job is to care for your host children but that doesn’t mean you cannot have fun at the same time.

Make sure you can see your kids at all times! If you can’t see them, they are too far away from you.

The most important part of your job as an au pair is to KEEP THE KIDS SAFE!

Play! Have fun! The best part about being an au pair is getting to get involved and play with the kids. The best part of being an au pair is to be involved and play with the kids. Have fun, be silly, be creative and playful! The kids will love it, and you will have a great time as well! You should spend more time playing and getting involved with the kids doing activities or games then you do watching television with the children.

Keep in mind that American children will be different than the children in your home country.

Just like kids from your home country, kids here are not perfect. They will have bad days, they will make mistakes, and they will do the wrong thing from time to time. Make sure you remember that they are the kids and you are the adult. Don’t argue back at them or yell at them, but react to them as an adult.

Do not take things the kids may say or do personally because when kids are mad they will say or do things that they do not mean. Try to develop a “thick skin.”

Be sensitive to the kids; they love you whether you are “on” or “off” working hours.

Always encourage your host kids with school, sports, with everything! It will help them stay positive and have good self-esteem.

Try to attend as many important events the kids have that you can. If you are unable to go, always ask about them. For example: How was the soccer game? Did your team win? How did you play?

You are the “eyes and ears” for the host parents. You may see a behavior change with the kids a lot sooner than the host parents are able to. Make sure you tell your host family if you see something different or of concern. Also, you will be the one to hear what the kids say when they come home from school, and to hear what they need for the next day. Make sure you tell the host family.

Be really careful that you do not favor one child over the other(s); treat all the kids the same.